These companies are the ones already here silently toiling, unremembered and uncelebrated, watching as the resources, support and capital focus on startups.

As the owner of the Peacock Room and Emerald boutiques in Midtown, Lutz is a been-up. She started her company on credit cards and has grown it into a place that dresses some of Detroit's most fashionable ladies.

Been-up Christa Sarafa, whose family owns Public Lumber Co. on the city's east side, has been railing about the attention flowing to downtown and the new businesses opening — with little remembrance of those, like her family's, that never left.

Well, the New Economy Initiative has been listening to all this street talk. The group recently announced it will give $500,000 to existing businesses in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck.

"While we recognize all the energy around Detroit's startup scene, we feel it's important to celebrate the small, existing businesses that have been the cornerstone of their communities for years," said David Egner, executive director of the NEI, a project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

The NEIdeas program, as it is being called, is doling out grants in two groups:

$10,000 to 30 small businesses with revenue of less than $1 million.

$100,000 to two entrepreneurs with revenue between $1 million and $5 million.

The NEI has been hosting listening sessions around the city, advising small-business owners on the application process. And for such significant grants, it's not that challenging. You have to submit a 200-word essay that shows how the grant would affect you or your business and expresses your passion.

Having just judged our annual 20 in their 20s applications, I can't stress how important it is to clearly spell out the measurable results you expect. Details are gold. Be specific.

Second place also doesn't look too shabby. The Detroit Economic Growth Corp. will connect them with the entrepreneurial resources available locally.